CLEVELAND, Ohio -- U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci has hired a longtime critic of Ohio Gov. John Kasich to advise his campaign for governor on policy issues.

Matt Mayer, the president of Opportunity Ohio, a conservative Columbus-based think tank, will serve as a strategic adviser to Renacci, the campaign announced on Monday. In an interview, Mayer, who served as an official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the George W. Bush administration, said he likely will advise the campaign on policy and strategy.

"I like that he [Renacci] hasn't been a part of the establishment and the system like how the other carer politicians in this race have been," Mayer said. "He has been willing to use his voice on some key issues, while others have remained silent or whispered in back-channels."

While Renacci's team says not to read too much into its hiring of Mayer, the personnel move supports Renacci's efforts to craft himself as the Capitol Square political outsider in the 2018 Republican primary. Mayer is well known in Columbus political circles for being willing to criticize Kasich from the right, even before Kasich began positioning himself as more of a moderate while preparing to run for president.

"He is not well-regarded among base conservatives in Ohio," Mayer told Politico. "What's funny is that liberals and conservatives in Ohio mostly agree that Kasich has lost his core values. Some think he never had any."

Mayer is not the only anti-Kasich conservative to be attracted to Renacci's campaign. Late last month, the Renacci campaign announced an endorsement from a group called #TeaParty -- which the campaign described as the "oldest and largest" Tea Party group on Facebook. The group referred to Kasich as a "lowlife" in a Facebook message announcing its endorsement of Renacci, although a campaign spokesman told BuzzFeed News that Renacci does not share that view of the governor.

In an email, Renacci spokesman James Slepian said the campaign hired Mayer because of his policy expertise and conservative credentials.

"Matt is a true powerhouse in the conservative community and an expert on both economic and national security policy, which is the reason why Jim views him as a tremendous asset to our team and another sign of the campaign's rapidly growing momentum," Slepian said.

Kasich is barred by term limits from running for re-election. Besides Renacci, three statewide Republican officials -- Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, Secretary of State Jon Husted and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine -- are running to succeed Kasich.